Residents of Chester County community voice concerns over massive AI data center

Many people in East Whiteland Township in Chester County are concerned about a data center that is planned to be built in their community.

Sentinel Green Fig, the company behind the date center, which is already approved for Swedesford Road right across the street from the Malvern Hunt neighborhood, is proposing an amendment to increase its size from 1 million to 1.6 million square feet.

At a planning meeting on Monday night, residents raised concerns such as decreasing property values, utility costs increasing and environmental issues.

Interest in the meeting was so high that it was moved to an auditorium at Penn State’s Great Valley campus.

“Everything that I’ve heard tonight, and everything that I’ve researched about data centers, it concerns me,” one resident said.

Another resident received applause during the meeting when she asked the town’s leaders, “How much more do you expect one community to take on?”

The proposed data center would be the first in East Whitehall Township of its size.

The next phase is it gets sent back to the Board of Supervisors to review the zoning rules.